best DIY link on where to start with lighting?

[conodor]

Getting ready to do the cycle on my 150 gallon tank. getting the last few components for the tank itself. my next project is going to be lighting.
I'm planing on doing a FOWLR, it's a 150 gallon tank. I'm a do it yourself kind of guy. So can someone direct me to a reliable link to start reading up so i can start asking some specific questions rather than look like the newb i am?
I know nothing about lighting so i figure some research before questions is the way to go. like what type, size and how to save money!
Thanks for your help!

 

[fishfreak1242]

If you are just doing a FOWLR, then you could construct a canopy and use either T-5s or Power Compact lighting. I would recommend T-5s because they run cooler than Power Compacts and you have to replace the bulbs a lot less often.

 

[conodor]

Thanks for the tip. I did see there's some t5 and t6's i didn't read the difference yet. but i'll concentrate on the t'5's
The tank i bought a few years back, it came with a bunch of fresh water fish, so i ran with that until i recently moved, i traded in those fish and i'm switching over.(am i babbling again?)
So.. point is the tank came with a nice cover on it. when you say canopy is that something i could attach to my cover? I guess i'm saying i'm thinking along the lines of the light fixture that i had for the FW. It was a platic flouresent light fixture that held 2 bulbs. honestly it wasn't the right one. it's only 4 foot long and the tank was longer than that.

 

[tropills]

try doing a search here in the DIY section, there's a ton of lighting threads that may help you design and build what you want., kinda against the rules to post links to other sites,

 

[tropills]

Originally Posted by Conodor
http:///forum/post/2701739
Thanks for the tip. I did see there's some t5 and t6's i didn't read the difference yet. but i'll concentrate on the t'5's
The tank i bought a few years back, it came with a bunch of fresh water fish, so i ran with that until i recently moved, i traded in those fish and i'm switching over.(am i babbling again?)
So.. point is the tank came with a nice cover on it. when you say canopy is that something i could attach to my cover? I guess i'm saying i'm thinking along the lines of the light fixture that i had for the FW. It was a platic flouresent light fixture that held 2 bulbs. honestly it wasn't the right one. it's only 4 foot long and the tank was longer than that.
a canopy is a wood top that covers the entire top of the tank , you can affix your lighting in the top of it.

 

[blkmonday]

other than building a custom canopy and getting the look you want. can you really save money making your own lighting setup? ive noticed the prices of retro-kits are sometimes more than an actual lighting setups...by the time you buy a cooling fan, bulbs, ballast ,etc. is it really worth it? am i just shopping in the wrong places?

 

[conodor]

i'm looking for the exact same thing! trying to figure out if it's somehow to save a few bucks.
so far i'm not finding any way to save any money on the T5 lighting.
but it seems like the MH way you can save some money, but will this lighting work for me?